ACA Summer Reading and Listening List 2024/25
At the end of each year, we ask our committee members and staff to recommend their favourite business-focused books and podcasts of the year. This time, we’ve even squeezed in a Netflix TV series! We hope you enjoy working your way through these recommendations as you relax and reset this summer.
ACA STAFF
Susie Ashworth
Susie is our Strategic Communications and Editorial Manager and is very well-read on topics related to the business of architecture and workplace wellbeing. This is her pick of the year: Fay Calderone’s Broken to Safe: Tackling Toxic Workplace Cultures and Burnout
This excellent handbook is jampacked with relevant research, legislation, court cases, lessons learned and advice for navigating the modern workplace – yet it’s a very quick and easy read. Clear, concise, entertaining and thought-provoking, this book is a must for leaders and managers struggling to keep up with changing legislation, changing norms around our life at work, and running a profitable business.
Fay says it best: “Leading humans is an artform. You need to build trust and guard your values and culture. You need to inspire humans with purpose and action. Inclusive and values-driven leadership is the high watermark you should aspire to, if your goal is to build not only compliant but safe, healthy and respectful workplaces. This is how you capture hearts and minds.”
Sian Jepson
Sian is our new National Executive Officer; she oversees governance and ensures we meet our obligations with the Fair Work Commission. Over the summer, Sian plans to watch What’s Next? The Future with Bill Gates on Netflix. In this docuseries, the tech visionary explores ground-breaking technologies that have the potential to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from healthcare and climate change to global inequality.
Sascha Byrne
Sascha is our inimitable South Australian Executive Officer and National Membership and Wellbeing Programs Manager. This year, she’s been dipping into Leading Large with Anna Roussos. Anna is the Founder of Roussos Recruitment and an SA branch sponsor. Her new podcast is designed to empower you with the skills and mindset necessary to excel in your construction, property, engineering, or architecture career. Anna recruits industry leaders to share practical strategies, tips, and insights to help you gain clarity and propel your career forward with purpose.
Emma Brain
Emma is our National Marketing, Advocacy and Policy Coordinator and oversees the implementation of our Reconciliation Action Plan. Emma highly recommends the First Knowledges series, edited by Margo Neale, senior Indigenous curator at the National Museum of Australia. The series bridges First Nations wisdom and contemporary understanding, presenting an eight-book collection that delves into Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems. Architects might like to start with Design: Building on Country.
Historian Lynette Russell describes this series as “an act of intellectual reconciliation”.
ACA COMMITTEE
Kali Passmore
Kali is a member of the WA Committee and an Associate and Practice Manager at Gresley Abas. Her recommendations are about understanding people – a critical skill for everyone in practice:
Connect: building exceptional relationships with family, friends, and colleagues
This book particularly piqued my interest as it shares resources and theories developed by David and Carole on interpersonal dynamics. They both led this course at Stanford Business School, and it is internationally renowned. Some real, simple, easy-to-apply key takeaways – like staying on my side of the net – that are highly effective.
The body keeps the score: mind, brain and body in the transformation of trauma
This one is not a light read! But gosh, it is impactful. For anyone curious to better understand our physiological and psychological (conscious and subconscious) inner human connection.
Justin Cucchiarelli
Justin is a member of the SA Committee and a Director at Studio 9 Architects. This year, he learnt a lot from Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of Life by James Kerr.
The story is really about changing culture and the way to develop a high-performance team. Whilst a sports story, the lessons apply to business and everyday life. There is a lot about constantly reinventing yourself whilst you are successful to continue success before you decline. That was a really interesting concept for me.
Michael Hegarty
Michael Hegarty is a member of the SA Committee, the national ACA RAP working group, and a Principal at Arch. Michael recommends two books by Canadian designer Bruce Mau that have shaped his approach to leadership: MC24 and Massive Change.
MC24 is a set of 24 design principles for driving change in organisations. I use this as a thought provocation for leading our business, and I have used these principles when approaching new projects and converting conceptual designs into functioning projects.
The first principle in Massive Change is “Design is Leadership, Lead by Design”. Companies who value design and the process of design thinking have been proven to succeed over their competitors. Large-scale organisations such as Apple, Amazon and Google all adhere to design thinking leadership, with many of the world’s most powerful brands employing Chief Creative and Design Officers. These are not 100% traditional design roles; they look at problems facing companies and study markets to conceptualise new products, services and solutions. The city of Adelaide took a step in this direction 15–20 years ago with the Thinker in Residence program.
Catherine Startari
Catherine is Vice-President of the SA Committee and a Principal at GHD. She recommends Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles.
This book explores the Japanese approach to living a long and fulfilling life, encouraging readers to find their purpose in every aspect of their lives.
This sounds like the perfect book for contemplative post-Christmas afternoons!
Fred Chaney
Fred is a member of the WA Committee, the national ACA RAP Working Group and a Director at TRCB. He recommends two books, starting with architect, verb by Reinier de Graaf.
An entertaining rant about all the things that drive architects nuts in the modern era of project management, placemaking and all the rest.
Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions by Clare Wright
A deep dive into Australia’s first formal sovereignty claim, from traditional custodians to the Australian parliament.
Justine Money
Justine is a member of our NSW/ACT Committee, the founder of Noho Architecture and a qualified Passive House Designer. This summer, she suggests you dive into Radical Transformational Leadership – Strategic Action for Change Agents by Monica Sharma.
This book offers a compelling framework for leaders seeking to drive significant change, even within the confines of a small business. While the book delves into global challenges and large-scale systems, its core principles can be effectively applied to smaller organisations.
One of the book’s key strengths is its emphasis on human-centred leadership. We can foster stronger relationships with employees, customers and the community by prioritising empathy, compassion and equity. This approach can lead to increased loyalty, productivity and positive word-of-mouth. Furthermore, the book’s focus on systems thinking provides valuable insights for understanding the interconnectedness of various business elements. Architects can use this perspective to identify systemic issues, such as inefficient processes or outdated strategies, and implement targeted solutions.
Michael Lewarne
Michael is a good friend of the ACA, having served on the NSW/ACT Committee for many years. Through his consultancy, unmeasured, he provides coaching and mentorship to architectural practice owners, helping them to “overcome the friction and bottlenecks in their practice”. He’s a radical thinker and always has great suggestions for this annual list!
Podcasts
Claire Hughes Johnson — How to Take Responsibility for Your Life, Create Rules That Work, Stop Being a Victim, Set Strong Boundaries, and More – The Tim Ferriss Show
The wrong way to think about culture fit – WorkLife with Adam Grant
How to design teams that don’t suck – WorkLife with Adam Grant
The secret to success isn’t power — it’s status – WorkLife with Adam Grant
Landing Moonshots with Google’s Innovation Chief Dr. Astro Teller – A Bit of Optimism with Simon Sinek
Books
Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building by Claire Hughes Johnson
Right Kind of Wrong: Why Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to Thrive by Amy Edmondson
This is Strategy: Make Better Plans by Seth Godin
Quick Read
“I’m not sure the term architect really describes what we do any more” – a 2010 interview with Flora Samuel (but still relevant!)
TV Show
Ripley on Netflix.
Watch it for the sublime B&W cinematography and beautifully grungy views of Italy!